Carrying The Word Made Flesh…

Good day my dear reader!

Today I’m going to share with you something that God has laid on my heart recently. This article does not necessarily have any point of doctrine as its focal point and neither will it have a persuasive purpose to it… But I do hope that it will help you, as a reader of my articles, to better understand me and the yearning I have to serve my Lord Jesus Christ in His one, holy, catholic and apostolic church…

About 4 or 5 months prior to writing this article, I started serving at my parish as an “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion” (EMHC). I had no idea of the impact that this ministry would have on my faith and on my heart. Prior to signing up to take part in this wonderful ministry, I thought that the highest plain of “joy” and “elation” on this earth was achieved by just receiving the precious Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. However, I quickly arrived at a different conclusion.

“If the angels could be jealous of men, they would be for one reason: Holy Communion.” –
Saint Maximillian Kolbe

To be honest, even though someone walked me through the steps I needed to take as a EMHC and I’d been to hundreds of masses, I was nervous as all get out my first time doing it! You know what I was most afraid of? WHAT IF I DROPPED JESUS?!?! AAAHHH!! But in the end, I had to trust that God led me to this ministry for a reason and, thank the Lord, my first time serving as a EMHC went off without a hitch. Let me expound on that statement and go into a little more detail…

I will NEVER forget the first time I served communion… It was an experience beyond words and that experience resulted in an intimacy with My Lord that I never imagined before then. To be able to, not only receive, but to deliver My Lord’s glorified body to my fellow Catholic brothers and sisters is such a blessing! To be an instrument that God uses to bring together His mystical body within His church… I mean… WOW! Now I look forward to every opportunity that I get to serve!

As a “lay person” I have come to believe that delivering My Lord to those who desire Him but are unable to make it to the altar is the single greatest honor and privilege that I can achieve in this life. To carry Jesus Christ in my unworthy hands is just an indescribable act of humility…

“When you look at a crucifix you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Eucharist you understand how much Jesus loves you now.” – Blessed Mother Teresa

It is one thing to carry God’s words from sacred scripture to others… But it is something else entirely to carry “The Word made flesh…” (John 1:14). There is just no comparison to anything else out there in or outside of the world for a member of the laity… But, that’s just my opinion since that is quite obviously a very subjective statement. However, the Lord did put it on my heart to share with you, dear reader, the love I have in my heart and soul for this ministry…

For my non-Catholic brothers and sisters reading this article… I understand that my experience in this ministry may not necessarily speak to you in the same way as it does me, but I do hope that it will inspire a desire within you to learn more about Christ’s true presence, body, blood, soul and divinity in The Eucharist and the impact that Our Lord can have in your life through this most holy sacrament… If you ever have any questions about His presence in The Eucharist, please don’t hesitate to ask me. There is no topic I enjoy talking about and studying more than this!!

“Fall in love with the Eucharist and everything else will fall into place.” – Father David Herrera

If, my dear reader, you are a practicing Catholic who wonders how you can get closer in intimacy with our Lord and serve His people, I highly encourage you to think and pray about becoming an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion… If you have questions about this ministry don’t hesitate to ask me and I’ll be happy to either answer your questions or point you to a person / place that has a helpful answer. If the Lord leads you to give this ministry a try, I promise you it will be an experience like no other and could, quite possibly, be life-changing for you… BUT like anything else, only if you are willing to surrender to the will and direction of The Holy Spirit…

Until next time dear reader…

Your Humble Servant in Christ,

William